Overview of the Adipose Biology and Basic Mechanisms (ABBM) Core The discovery that adipose tissue is an endocrine organ, in addition to its key role in energy storage and homeostasis, opened new avenues for investigation in many metabolic diseases. Accumulating evidence indicates that effects of nutritional status on adipose metabolic and endocrine funcfion influence many physiologic funcfions, including reproduction, immune function, inflammafion, and systemic glucose and insulin homeostasis. The study of adipose tissue function requires specialized methods, and thus the idea for an Adipose Biology and Basic Mechanisms Core (ABBM) was developed five years ago to support ongoing collaborafions in our group that focus on the role of adipose fissue in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome. The ABBM Core has proven to be very successful in fulfilling its original planned mission. Importantly, several of the original goals for the ABBM Core were achieved and indeed enabled major advances for our Core users, as can be assessed by our publication record. As we look to the future, our plans are to build upon the many successes where the ABBM Core has proven to be of great or growing value, and from this solid foundafion we will both strengthen and expand our capabilities to support evolving needs of the Mid-Atlantic NORC investigators as well as for the nutrition research community. Specific areas to be strengthened include those capabilifies that have enabled the emerging "clinic to gene discovery to gene function" research breakthroughs achieved by the Mid-Atlantic NORC. Areas of expansion expected to support the evolving nature of research in obesity and metabolic disease include a)expand training and research support provided by the ABBM Core to facilitate investigafion that addresses the mechanisms regulating of human adipose tissue function as a funcfion of genetic, nutrifional status, physical activity, obesity, inflammatory status, age, and gender, b) expand our resources to bank and enhance our phenotypic characterization of human cells and fissues obtained from biopsy and surgery in collaboration with the CTR Core, c) develop biological systems to investigate functional aspects of newly identified candidate genes in collaboration with the MGN Core and d) expand collaborations and shared resources with other centers. Partnering with the Obesity Research Institute and Weis Center for Research in the Geisinger Heath System (GHS) as a satellite site for the Mid-Atlantic NORC will enhance our ability to achieve the afore mentioned enhancements.